Sailing Heldeleine

Well, plans change. Laurie and I were expecting to go to the island of Ponza on Sunday. We left and the trip became a motorboat voyage. I really dislike motoring on my SAILboat, So, two hours into the putt putt trip we turned the boat 30% to port and Ahhhhh, turned off the beast and had a very pleasant SAIL to Ventotene. Once in town we met a couple of American sailors which is unusual.  Mark and Laura have been circumnavigating for the past 11 1/2 years! They kindly invited us to dinner to watch the sunset and the moon rise. It was a wonderful evening with an adventurous, experienced and fun couple. Thank you again Laura and Mark (Sabbatical 3 blog) for sharing your evening.

So, off to Sardinia. It was a very comfortable leg.  Laurie and quickly fell into the zen-like routine of watch-watch off. I must say the during the past few days at sea I have easily doubled the amount of sleep I usual get at home. I can do this on the boat because I trust Laurie with my life. If something comes up (rarely) she does not  hesitate to wake me. She is the perfect traveling companion. And damn good at doing this!

After motoring way too much for 240 mile we arrived at Malfatano at the southern tip of Sardinia. After anchoring for a couple hours the wind really freshened and caused whitecaps in the anchorage and was  pressing us onto a Lee shore.  I elected to up anchor and move on to our big leg to Spain. Out we went and after getting our asses kicked with 25-30 knot wind on the nose and chunky seas (No, not the Gibraltar Strait again!!) we returned with our tells  between our legs to Malfatano to find the anchorage we had just left 2 hours before……calm as a mill pond. WTF….We were up early the next day for our 500 mile jaunt to Spain. What a sail we had! Broad reaching in 15-20 knots for most of the trip. We only turned the engine on for the last night into Alicante, Spain. But we needed to get there. Fast. We were out of contact just when we needed to be there for people.

We had received news that my mother-in-law Suzanne Culley was within a couple days of dying. With the satellite text not functioning well, no cell service at sea and the need to connect with Maryly and the kids at this critical time, we elected to pull into Alicante, Spain.  Well before then we received a text that Suzanne had passed away. Maryly had just arrived in California and 2 hours later she cradled her mother to the end. Suzanne was a uniquely wonderful Lady. Whether it was playing  the violin, painting watercolors or skiing, she always did it with Zest!  She was the “Grande Dame”  of any party. She will be missed. She remains in the hearts of the many people who were fortunate enough to share her life.

Hello Family and Friends,

Once again it will soon be that most joyous time of the year for me. I will return to Italy and Heldeleine to resume sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. This summer’s plans are part of a grand plan to return Heldeleine to the USA over the next year or so. During the last couple years the family has missed not having Heldeleine nearby. A long weekend to Northport, a week to Martha’s Vineyard or a month to Nova Scotia. We have missed the spontaneity of having the boat at home. With Maddy going to college (at Barnard in NYC) and Helen still in high school, the idea of having Heldeleine close for a weekend here and there is compelling. I, particularly, have missed the chance to fix crap (literally at times!). Yup, I thoroughly enjoy working a problem and finding a solution. Sure it can be a pain in the ass but a life without challenges sounds pretty damn boring. But I must say that cruising last summer in Italy was simply perfect. The friends who shared so generously and the places we visited are etched in all our minds. We are so thankful. So, this summer, the PLAN….
Leg 1- I will fly first to Rome and then arrive in Gaeta, Italy on July 3rd to make Heldeleine into a voyaging, sailing vessel again. Over the next several days I will be joined first by my sister Laurie then by Uncle Pete and his son, my cousin, Will. With the boat primped and prepped the 4 of us will depart Gaeta on July 10 bound for….wait for it….Marina Smir, Morocco. The sail is basically due west 1,000 miles across the Mediterranean. We might stop at Ventotene or Ischia or the southern tip of Sardinia on the way but we shall see. The trip should take 7-10 days and will be challenging with many vessels afloat in our path. With Radar, AIS, 2 independent Chartplotters and 4 attentively motivated crew aboard, things should proceed as planned. We will watch the weather fronts carefully and try to catch some fish (Hey, hope springs eternal!). We will dock Heldeleine at Marina Smir for 10 days as we move on to:
Leg 2- From Heldeleine we 4 will travel overland across Morocco and meet up with 7 additional Family members in Marrakech for 10 days of Riads, Medinas, Fantastic scenery and, of course, the 11 Camel Culpepper Caravan to the Erg Chebbi dunes. Watch for more details to come.
Leg 3- After the land fun, 6 will fly home and the immediate family including Uncle Pete will return to Heldeleine and travel through the Strait of Gibraltar to Cadiz, Spain and then on to Lagos, Portugal. Lagos will be Heldeleine’s winter home and the departure port for next year’s trip to the Azores and the return to the USA.
I am sure there will be many updates and tracking points along the way so, follow us or just check in to share the adventure. I can’t freakin’ wait!

For my last night afloat I am in a pretty sweet location. I am the only boat tied up to the town pier (Thank you Tony and the Italian Coast Guard!). Though I am a bit of a fish in a fishbowl (many Hellos and many photos taken) it is a lovely, cool evening and life is calm and wonderful. I can hear the bugle call from the American Ship Mount Whitney bringing down the flag and I am remembering AF Basic training when I was assigned to play the damn bugle calls and bearly survived the ordeal. Who the hell would’ve thought the bugle was so tough after playing the Horn…..

I can not imagine better crew members than my cousin Will and his wonderful girlfriend Cassie. They left us today and are very much missed. Not only are they so damn cute together, they are also the best of traveling companions. Always part of the team and never a whine between them. I am grateful for them making the long trip to sail with us this summer and look forward to future adventures with them both. Warm and affectionate wishes to them both!!

Cassie at the Helm!

This is Will the day before their departure from the crew. We were able to restrain him from ending things here in Positano.